Northwest School votes to continue levy

By Ryan Ottney

September 24, 2013

Ryan Scott Ottney

PDT Staff Writer

The Northwest School Board of Education voted last week to continue collecting a local levy which was ready to expire in the next year. While some in the community are calling it an increase in taxes that would have otherwise dropped, Superintendent Todd Jenkins said it’s really just a continuation of an existing tax and is not increasing anything.

“It is moving a bond levy into what’s called permanent improvement,” Jenkins explained. “It’s not an increase. It’s still status quo.”

The original levy was passed by the voters and collected for the construction of new school buildings in the 1990s. It would have expired in 2014, Jenkins said, but the school board has voted to continue the levy and move 0.5 mil for permanent improvement.

“It’s just used to update facilities, purchase buses, repair blacktopping, things used for that to maintain,” he said.

He said other schools have done similar actions, and said it will continue until the board decides it has collected enough.

“All you’re doing is just moving what’s currently there. Moving over. It just continues,” Jenkins said.

Ryan Scott Ottney may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 287, or rottney@civitasmedia.com. For breaking news, follow Ryan on Twitter @PDTwriter.